Green Party's Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Maidstone and the Weald.
Also a nurse, manager, writer, husband and father...

Saturday, 29 July 2017

MGGS and Discrimination

I was shocked to read about a student at Maidstone Girls Grammar School, a school to which both my wife and daughter went to and where I was a parent governor for a short period (I was expelled from the governors for speaking out against the selective system), being told to cover her shaved head. Read more here.

She shaved her head for charity, a noble act and one that raises awareness, and unlike a boy who did similar last year, she was told to put on a head scarf. This is from a school which has previously prided itself on women's rights.

I have written to the head teacher Miss Stanley, please add your voices too, their email is central@mggs.org

This is my letter:

Dear Miss Stanley

I was saddened and disappointed to see your comments in the KM Online yesterday, asking Maddie Santon-Williams to cover her head. I do not accept your excuse that you are concerned about other pupils with health conditions - one of the points of a shaved head is to show solidarity. From the information I have this seems to be a straightforward case of gender discrimination .

Given the good history of your school championing women's rights I urge you to reconsider your stance and apologise to Maddie.